59 articles · 18.9K karma · 39 friends · active 2 years, 10 months ago

i'm a 68 year old retired high steel ironworker out of ironworkers local #5 washington d.c but live in maryland...we are not steel workers...ironworkers erect it they don't make it in a mill...i did that for 34 years..i am a navy brat...my dad and brother were both navy captains...dad a pilot and brother submarine service...dad joined in 1939 and went into battleships served in iceland on the armed neutrality patrol chasing the tirpitz but couldn't shoot unless hit...then blimps then heavier than air...was at coral seas and midway [kiska and attu] on the battle ship and was one of three battle wagons to survive pearl...he got into airships 1943 and went to flight school after the war...flew snj ad t-33 banshee pbm's p2v's s2f's and beechcraft and commanded 2 blimp squadrons ZW-1 and 2 and set up the first blimp squadron in england 1945...is mentioned in the book blimps and u boats twice..dad was anti submarine warfare and brother was a submariner...brother was a high school dropout who joined the navy at 17 in 1962 became one of the youngest 2nd class Petty Officers in the navy at 19...went to college at Purdue on the navy's dime and commanded 2 nuclear submarines a fast attack and an fbm...he was skipper of the alabama when crimson tide was made...he hated the movie...said it was just a farce...i became an ironworker because i am not an academic...more of a mechanic...i raised 4 kids and now have 7 grands and 5 more that belong my second wife...two of my dads best friends were jimmy flatly and john l smith MOH who lead the cactus air force on guadalcanal and marine general george dooley an early tbf pilot...my parents moved 18 times in 26 years...but i kept finding them...i was born at lakehurst naval air station 1952...have been a modeller since 1960...i still love monogram tbf sbd hellcat and corsair and that old 1/96 pby plus an aurora or two quite a few renwall ships and some of those lovely suitable for framing revell kits...not to mention the lindberg me 262..i love planes ships muscle cars motorcycles figures and armor...world history and reading...i am married to a fine very kind lady that puts up with just about anything i do and have a loving sister, i have been close to all my life

Sad news...

Hello, I'm P38J's (Bob) son Bob Jr. I regret to say you've lost one fine modeler, as my father has passed on from this life. I know he would frequent this site for ideas/inspiration from all of you and maybe strut his stuff from time to [...]

Hasegawa 1/48 KI-84 Frank

looks like we may have a bit of a lovely theme going on here...what timimg these look like a cross between a P-47 and a bearcat with a little FW thrown in for good measure

Hasegawa 1/48 Aichi B7A2 Torpedo/ Dive Bomber Ryusei Kai (Grace)

the Aichi B7A2 Bomber Ryusei Kai {shooting star} allied code name Grace was the new super torpedo and dive bomber plane for the Japanese Navy of great strength and speed in 1944 as a replacement for the B6 Tenzan Jill torpedo plane and the [...]

Hobbyboss 1/48 F8F-1 Bearcat

the Grumman F8F-1 Bearcat came on the scene too late to serve the U.S. Navy in WW11.. they were on the carriers halfway across the Pacific when the war with Japan ended...it was the fastest thing Grumman ever came up with to that point and [...]

Tamiya 1/48 F-14A Tomcat/ “Miss Molly”… VF-111 “Sundowners”

the Grumman F-14 Tomcat was the US Navy's primary fighter for 35 years from the early 70's till 2006...it came out of Mcnamara's failed F-111 project...in fact from the intakes back the F14 is the F-111 though the Navy added the second [...]

Monogram 1/48 Vought O-S2U “Kingfisher” land plane

used as trainers, squadron hacks and observation platform scout

Hasegawa 1/48 F4J “Jolly Rogers”

Hasegawa 1/48 F6F-5 Hellcat U.S.S. Hornet VF-17 “Jolly Rogers”

the VF-17 "Jolly Rogers" were formed on January 1,1943 at NAS Norfolk under the command of LT. Commander John T. "Tommy" Blackburn as CO and Roger Hedrick as XO...Blackburn was a Buffalo and F4F pilot but VF-17 was the [...]

Hasegawa 1/48 Hurricane Mk. IID

The Hawker Hurricane was surely the backbone of RAF fighter command in WW11... though it never received it's rightful place in history, it served with distinction from the Battle of Britain, where it was flown with great expertise by the [...]

Hobbyboss 1/48 P-38L Lightning & Hasegawa 1/48 “Follow Me” jeep

Solsala Italy...part of the Foggia complex of about 25 airfields within a 25 mile radius of Foggia on the west coast of Italy...Ramitelli was among them The p-38 lightning was America's darling fighter on Dec 7 1941...it was like look what [...]